Find out how popular the last name Taliaferro is in the United States and learn more about the meaning, history, and race and ethnic origin of people in America who are named Taliaferro.

Taliaferro, like all of the last names we have data for, is identified by the U.S. Census Bureau as a surname which has more than 100 occurrences in the United States in the Decennial Census survey. The most recent statistics we have for the Taliaferro surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Taliaferro in America

Taliaferro is the 119508th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Taliaferro surname appeared 145 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 0 people would have the surname Taliaferro.

We can also compare 2010 data for Taliaferro to data from the previous census in 2000. The table below contains all of the statistics for both years in a side-by-side comparison.

The history of the last name Taliaferro

The surname Taliferro is of Italian origin, tracing its roots back to the medieval period. It is believed to have derived from the Italian words "tagliaferro," which translates to "iron cutter" or "blacksmith." This suggests that the name initially referred to an occupation or trade.

The earliest recorded instances of the name can be found in documents from the 13th century in regions such as Tuscany and Umbria. It appeared in various spellings, including Tagliaferro, Taliaferro, and Taliafierro, reflecting the regional dialects and scribal variations of the time.

One of the earliest known individuals with this surname was Giovanni Taliferro, a blacksmith who lived in the city of Siena during the late 13th century. His name is mentioned in several municipal records from that era, attesting to the presence of the surname in the region.

In the 14th century, the Taliferro family gained prominence in the Republic of Venice, where they were involved in the city's lucrative iron trade. Notably, Marco Taliferro (1325-1395) was a successful merchant and shipowner who played a significant role in Venice's maritime commerce.

The name also appeared in historical records from other parts of Italy, such as the Papal States. In the 16th century, a notable figure named Alessandro Taliferro (1520-1585) was a scholar and jurist who served as a legal advisor to Pope Pius V.

As the Taliferro family spread throughout Italy, the name underwent various spelling variations, including Taliaferri, Taliaferro, and Taliafieri. Some branches of the family eventually migrated to other parts of Europe and beyond, carrying the name with them.

One notable example is the Taliferro family in Virginia, United States, which traces its roots back to Robert Taliferro (1628-1675), an English immigrant who settled in the colony in the mid-17th century. His descendants played prominent roles in the early history of Virginia and the American Revolution.

Other notable individuals with the surname Taliferro include José María Taliferro (1786-1836), a Colombian military leader and statesman who fought in the wars of independence, and Vicente Taliferro (1789-1845), a Mexican painter and engraver known for his religious works and portraiture.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Taliaferro

We also have some data on the ancestry of people with the surname Taliaferro.

The below race categories are the modified race categories used in the Census Bureau's population estimates program. All people were categorized into six mutually exclusive racial and Hispanic origin groups:

1. White only
2. Black only
3. American Indian and Alaskan Native only
4. Asian and Pacific Islander only
5. Hispanic
6. Two or More Races

For the most recent 2010 census data, the race/ethnic origin breakdown for Taliaferro was:

Note: Any fields showing (S) means the data was suppressed for privacy so that the data does not in any way identify any specific individuals.

Since we have data from the previous census in 2000, we can also compare the values to see how the popularity of Taliaferro has changed in the 10 years between the two census surveys.

Data source

The last name data and ethnic breakdown of last names is sourced directly from the Decennial Census survey, conducted every 10 years by the United States Census Bureau.

The history and meaning of the name Taliaferro was researched and written by our team of onomatology and genealogy experts.

If you have a correction or suggestion to improve the history of Taliaferro, please contact us.

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